Communication

• Think about the year ahead and the events and activities to come. It could be the Christmas party or the launch of a new product or service.

• Next think about who needs to be informed about this. Is it the management team for example, or should everyone be informed?

• Next think about what they need to know. For example, is it the bigger picture, or the detail.

• Now think about when should they be informed. How far in advance should communication start? A month before the event, two months before? And how often should they be reminded? Weekly, monthly?

• How are you going to communicate? Face to Face or email? Team meeting or 1:1s? Maybe a whole office meeting? Think about which method will work for you.

• Put a plan together and follow it. Don’t forget to review it though to check key messages are getting through. Here are some of our ideas of different ways to communicate.

Quarterly/Half year events

Take the whole company out for a day/half day to share the company vision, update the team on business performance, and give the team chance to network with each other. This doesn’t have to be boring, inject some fun into the event, people will be far more likely to be engaged with the key messages. Recent research suggests that about 50 percent of employees don’t have sufficient information about the organisation’s strategy.

Company Newsletter

The trick to a company newsletter it getting people to actually read it! Ask the team what they would like to see as content and listen to and act upon their feedback.

Team meetings

Hold regular team meetings to share information between the teams.

Huddles

A quick 5 minutes team get together to establish what each person has on that day and what could get in the way is a great way to remove any barriers and improve productivity. Try this standing up so they don’t go on for too long.

1:1s

Regular 1:1s between manager and team member will help with staff growth and development. This will enable a discussion to place around what’s going well, what’s challenging and where the individuals would like support and development and opportunities. Recent research from the CIPD suggests that there has been an increase in the number of employees who consider that the performance management processes in their organisation are somewhat or not at all fair, which highlights the importance of regular informal 1:1s.

Staff suggestion scheme

This is a great way to get the team to put forward their ideas for improvement. Some people may put their name against the ideas, others won’t. Demonstrate you have read and considered the ideas in team meetings, newsletters etc.

Employee Engagement Survey

An employee Survey is a great way to get people talking about the business and what’s getting in their way. Completed anonymously, people may be more honest about how they’re feeling. If you’d like to know more about employee engagement surveys – Click here